N-Substituted 1,2,3-triazoles are useful as dyestuffs, photo stabilizers, corrosion inhibitors, pharmaceutical and agrochemicals. 1H-[1,2,3]-triazole is used as major intermediate in the synthesis of N-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. Hence, the demand for 1H-[1,2,3]-triazole is increasing very heavily now-a-days (Science of Synthesis, 2004, 13, 415-601).
1H-[1,2,3]-triazole is usually prepared by the addition of benzylazide to acetylene in the presence of copper catalyst and under pressure to obtain 1-benzyl-1H-[1,2,3]triazole. 1-Benzyl-1H-[1,2,3]triazole is then debenzylated in presence of Pd—C to obtain 1,2,3-triazole (Synlett, 2009, 9, 1453-1456).

The drawback of the above procedure for commercialization is that it involves pressure reaction of azidomethyl benzene with acetylene, which is exothermic in nature and needs special equipment and attention during large scale production.
Hence, there is a need for a viable process, for the production of 1H-[1,2,3]-triazole and its intermediate 1-benzyl-1H-[1,2,3]triazole on a larger scale, which is both safe and economical and does not require special equipment.